Next! PV coach Getz reveals true answers

Mark Getz won a state wrestling title for Nazareth High School in 1994.

Mark Getz won a state wrestling title for Nazareth High School in 1994.

He was the best 135-pounder in the state.

He enjoyed a collegiate career at East Stroudsburg and Bloomsburg Universities where he was a two-time placewinner in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

In 1996, Getz finished fifth in the USA freestyle world championships in Bulgaria.

OK, the guy could wrestle.

He's proving he can coach too.

Last year as a coach Getz led Pleasant Valley's wrestling team to the Mountain Valley Conference championship — his fourth title as head coach. He's done a solid job in eight years at the helm.

But when it comes to tough questions, Getz rarely gets them tossed his way. Until now.

We grilled the Bears' coach on everything from cheating the scale, to a battle with his old buddy, Stroudsburg coach Matt Kleinle.

I walked away impressed, because when given the option, he didn't once yell, "Next!" to dodge a question.

MK: Who wins the Mountain Valley Conference this year?

Getz: I would say Stroudsburg is the favorite, the frontrunner.

MK: Why?

Getz: I think they have experience and they're balanced. They don't have too many holes in their lineup. They're the best balanced team right now.

MK: Are you the second best team?

Getz: I don't know yet. We'll find out against (Pocono) East. Right now I think we're teetering on second and third. We have the ability to be the best team but we're teetering right now.

MK: When you talk about challenges of being a head coach, is this your toughest job to date?

Getz: Yes, yes it is. And I like it. I like the challenge of it. People see PV and we're supposed to be pretty good. You put nine or 10 new kids in and this is the best job I've done.

MK: Who's the young kid to watch?

Getz: Garrett Gouger and Andrew McCue.

MK: Tell me in a sentence about each kid.

Getz: Gouger, he's a tough-nosed kid. Lot of technique to learn but he's a tough-nosed kid.

McCue is a coachable kid, willing to learn, works hard and very coachable.

MK: Tell me about districts and your expectations?

Getz: I still think we can place half the kids to regionals and take two or three kids to states. Just because we're inexperienced I still hold them to the same expectations I do every year. They have to learn how to get up to those expectations.

MK: What's the biggest change from when you started coaching to today?

Getz: The biggest change I've seen is it's simple to get online to scout. There are a lot of places you can go to watch and it's easy for the kids to see what they are doing wrong.

MK: Digital scales? I know they've been around but is that weird?

Getz: It's not like the old days. You can't cheat on digital scales.

MK: Did you ever cheat on a scale? Do the lean?

Getz: Oh yeah, we all have. We knew all the tricks, putting paper underneath the scale. You can crack the scale open and move weight around.

MK: So there's no leaning on a digital scale?

Getz: There's a light spot, but it's usually only one or two tenths, but you've got to find it.

MK: What's the craziest thing you did to lose weight?

Getz: In high school, nothing. I never lost weight in high school. College (Bloomsburg) is where I lost a lot of weight. ... Every day I came in 15 to 20 (pounds) over the day before and that was common. Most kids were 12 over, but that was before the new rules. I had a routine. I worked out 4-5 hours a day.

MK: What kind of relationship do you have with (Stroudsburg coach) Matt Kleinle? You guys like each other?

Getz: Yeah, Matt's a good guy.

MK: How do you flip the switch when you guys meet?

Getz: It's very easy, to me.

MK: Do you ever bark at one another?

Getz: No, we really haven't. There is a mutual respect between us. When it's time to compete I'm very competitive. I've wrestled friends in high school, I've wrestled friends in college and when I get on that mat I hate you.

MK: So, if you guys were to wrestle tomorrow night, who's going to win?

Getz: Good question. Matt's a good guy. I like Matt ...

MK: I'm not talking about good guy, bad guy, I'm talking about six minutes on the mat, who wins?

Getz: I'm not going to say Next to you, I'll give you an answer. I'm not going to lose. That's just my mentality.